Sunday, August 11, 2002
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Sunday, August 11, 2002 |
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Prayed lately? By DR. KNOX HERNDON
When was the last time you seriously prayed to God? I am not talking about a two to three sentence prayer, I am talking about serious prayer! How many rooms do you have in your house? The Bible talks about us going into our prayer closets and praying. Do you have a designated place that is just for you and God? A place where you go where it is all about communing with the heavenly Father? It is true that we can go to Him in prayer anywhere and any place and in any circumstance but when something is "too general" and too generic, it often can and does get played off. Everyone's responsibility is no one's responsibility, if you know what I mean. Serious prayer needs to be "intentional." Every day since I have become "over 40," I make a list of what I need to accomplish the next day. I have learned to put at the top of my list, as the number one item, to pray. I have learned that if I rush into my list without first stopping and praying, that for some reason, I don't get it all done. What stopping and praying does is that it first calls on our Heavenly Father to intentionally watch over our affairs of the day and to "use us as salt and light" in whatever we do. I have heard thousands of prayers that go something like this: "Father, please make my life a living example so others can see Christ in me." That is a good prayer and a lofty Christian idea but without intentional daily interaction with the Father, it probably will get played off for lesser more unimportant ideas, and it just becomes mere words. I hear Christians all the time say, "I'll pray for you." Some use it as a closing statement only, with no intention of praying for anything. What I always do if I say that to anyone is to immediately pray on the spot. That way it doesn't get played off. There is a special form of integrity to promise to pray for someone and then do it. And while we are on the subject, when was the last time you knelt when you prayed? I know that right away you are going to say that this sounds legalistic, but kneeling is an attitude of the heart. I assume you have a bed to sleep in at night. What a wonderful place to kneel before you retire at night and pray. In our church we have the "pastoral prayer." At this time we call on all who can, to come to the altar and kneel. We have some in our church who physically cannot or choose to not kneel, but again, kneeling is an attitude of the heart. Personally, I need to kneel before God each day and do serious prayer. It feeds me. When we raise $350,000 and build our final phase II sanctuary and get out of the "doublewide on 85," we will have an altar rail where people can kneel for longer periods of time. Kneeling on a step or on a padded cushion, in my opinion, will not allow serious prayer for any length of time. Praying less but enjoying life more? I doubt it. Let us all "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you." Pray on!! Remember time is short! Listen for the trumpet! The Rev. Dr. Knox Herndon is pastor of His House Community Church (SBC). The Rev. Greg Mausz is senior associate pastor. The Rev. Dr. Lydia Herndon is the Sunday School superintendent, Bible study coordinator and teacher. The church is just below Fayetteville, on Ga. Highway 85, a mile south of Ga. Highway 16, just below the fire station. Visitors welcome. Church office and prayer line 770-719-2365; e-mail KHERN2365@aol.com. The church's new Web site is www.hishousecommunitychurch.com.
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